Thirteen

HERCULE POIROT ARRIVES

I don’t think I shall ever forget my first sight of Hercule Poirot. Of course, I got used to him lateron, but to begin with it was a shock, and I think everyone else must have felt the same!

I don’t know what I’d imagined—something rather like Sherlock Holmes—long and leanwith a keen, clever face. Of course, I knew he was a foreigner, but I hadn’t expected him to bequite as foreign as he was, if you know what I mean.

When you saw him you just wanted to laugh! He was like something on the stage or at thepictures. To begin with, he wasn’t above five-foot five, I should think—an odd, plump little man,quite old, with an enormous moustache, and a head like an egg. He looked like a hairdresser in acomic play!

And this was the man who was going to find out who killed Mrs.?Leidner!

I suppose something of my disgust must have shown in my face, for almost straightaway hesaid to me with a queer kind of twinkle:

“You disapprove¹ of me, ma soeur? Remember, the pudding proves itself only when you eatit.”

The proof of the pudding’s in the eating, I suppose he meant.

Well, that’s a true enough saying, but I couldn’t say I felt much confidence myself!

Dr.?Reilly brought him out in his car soon after lunch on Sunday, and his first procedure wasto ask us all to assemble together.

We did so in the dining room, all sitting round the table. Mr.?Poirot sat at the head of it withDr.?Leidner one side and Dr.?Reilly the other.

When we were all assembled, Dr.?Leidner cleared his throat and spoke³ in his gentle,hesitating voice.

“I dare say you have all heard of M. Hercule Poirot. He was passing through Hassaniehtoday, and has very kindly⁴ agreed to break his journey to help us. The Iraqi police and CaptainMaitland are, I am sure, doing their very best, but—but there are circumstances in the case”—hefloundered and shot an appealing glance at Dr.?Reilly—“there may, it seems, be difficulties. .?.?.”

“It is not all the square and overboard—no?” said the little man at the top of the table. Why,he couldn’t even speak English properly!

“Oho, he must be caught!” cried Mrs.?Mercado. “It would be unbearable⁵ if he got away!”

I noticed the little foreigner’s eyes rest on her appraisingly⁶.

“He? Who is he, madame?” he asked.

“Why, the murderer, of course.”

“Ah! the murderer,” said Hercule Poirot.

He spoke as though the murderer was of no consequence at all!

We all stared at him. He looked from one face to another.

“It is likely, I think,” he said, “that you have none of you been brought in contact with a caseof murder before?”

There was a general murmur⁷ of assent⁸.

Hercule Poirot smiled.

“It is clear, therefore, that you do not understand the A B C of the position. There areunpleasantnesses! Yes, there are a lot of unpleasantnesses. To begin with, there is suspicion.”

“Suspicion?”

It was Miss?Johnson who spoke. Mr.?Poirot looked at her thoughtfully. I had an idea that heregarded her with approval. He looked as though he were thinking: “Here is a sensible, intelligentperson!”

“Yes, mademoiselle,” he said. “Suspicion! Let us not make the bones about it. You are allunder suspicion here in this house. The cook, the house-boy, the scullion, the potboy—yes, and allthe members of the expedition too.”

Mrs.?Mercado started up, her face working.

“How dare you? How dare you say such a thing? This is odious—unbearable! Dr.?Leidner—you can’t sit here and let this man—let this man—”

Dr.?Leidner said wearily: “Please try and be calm, Marie.”

Mr.?Mercado stood up too. His hands were shaking and his eyes were bloodshot.

“I agree. It is an outrage—an insult—”

“No, no,” said Mr.?Poirot. “I do not insult you. I merely ask you all to face facts. In a housewhere murder has been committed, every inmate⁹ comes in for a certain share of suspicion. I askyou what evidence is there that the murderer came from outside at all?”

Mrs.?Mercado cried: “But of course he did! It stands to reason! Why—” She stopped and saidmore slowly, “Anything else would be incredible!”

“You are doubtless correct, madame,” said Poirot with a bow. “I explain to you only how thematter must be approached. First I assure myself of the fact that everyone in this room is innocent.

After that I seek the murderer elsewhere.”

“Is it not possible that that may be a little late in the day?” asked Father Lavigny suavely¹⁰.

“The tortoise, mon père, overtook the hare.”

Father Lavigny shrugged¹² his shoulders.

“We are in your hands,” he said resignedly. “Convince yourself as soon as may be of ourinnocence in this terrible business.”

“As rapidly as possible. It was my duty to make the position clear to you, so that you may notresent the impertinence of any questions I may have to ask. Perhaps, mon pe“re, the Church willset an example?”

“Ask any questions you please of me,” said Father Lavigny gravely.

“This is your first season out here?”

“Yes.”

“And you arrived—when?”

“Three weeks ago almost to a day. That is, on the 27th of February.”

“Coming from?”

“The Order of the Pères Blancs at Carthage.”

“Thank you, mon père. Were you at any time acquainted with Mrs.?Leidner before cominghere?”

“No, I had never seen the lady until I met her here.”

“Will you tell me what you were doing at the time of the tragedy?”

“I was working on some cuneiform tablets in my own room.”

I noticed that Poirot had at his elbow a rough plan of the building.

“That is the room at the southwest corner corresponding to that of Mrs.?Leidner on theopposite side?”

“Yes.”

“At what time did you go to your room?”

“Immediately after lunch. I should say at about twenty minutes to one.”

“And you remained there until—when?”

“Just before three o’clock. I had heard the station wagon¹³ come back—and then I heard itdrive off again. I wondered why, and came out to see.”

“During the time that you were there did you leave the room at all?”

“No, not once.”

“And you heard or saw nothing that might have any bearing on the tragedy?”

“No.”

“You have no window giving on the courtyard in your room?”

“No, both the windows give on the countryside.”

“Could you hear at all what was happening in the courtyard?”

“Not very much. I heard Mr.?Emmott passing my room and going up to the roof. He did soonce or twice.”

“Can you remember at what time?”

“No, I’m afraid I can’t. I was engrossed¹⁴ in my work, you see.”

There was a pause and then Poirot said:

“Can you say or suggest anything at all that might throw light on this business? Did you, forinstance, notice anything in the days preceding the murder?”

Father Lavigny looked slightly uncomfortable.

He shot a half-questioning look at Dr.?Leidner.

“That is rather a difficult question, monsieur,” he said gravely. “If you ask me I must replyfrankly that in my opinion Mrs.?Leidner was clearly in dread¹⁶ of someone or something. She wasdefinitely nervous about strangers. I imagine she had a reason for this nervousness of hers—but Iknow nothing. She did not confide² in me.”

Poirot cleared his throat and consulted some notes that he held in his hand. “Two nights ago Iunderstand there was a scare of burglary.”

Father Lavigny replied in the affirmative and retailed¹⁷ his story of the light seen in the antikaroom and the subsequent futile¹⁸ search.

“You believe, do you not, that some unauthorized person was on the premises¹⁹ at that time?”

“I don’t know what to think,” said Father Lavigny frankly¹⁵. “Nothing was taken or disturbedin any way. It might have been one of the houseboys—”

“Or a member of the expedition?”

“Or a member of the expedition. But in that case there would be no reason for the person notadmitting the fact.”

“But it might equally have been a stranger from outside?”

“I suppose so.”

“Supposing a stranger had been on the premises, could he have concealed²⁰ himselfsuccessfully during the following day and until the afternoon of the day following that?”

He asked the question half of Father Lavigny and half of Dr.?Leidner. Both men consideredthe question carefully.

“I hardly think it would be possible,” said Dr.?Leidner at last with some reluctance²². “I don’tsee where he could possibly conceal²¹ himself, do you, Father Lavigny?”

“No—no—I don’t.”

Both men seemed reluctant to put the suggestion aside.

Poirot turned to Miss?Johnson.

“And you, mademoiselle? Do you consider such a hypothesis feasible?”

After a moment’s thought Miss?Johnson shook her head.

“No,” she said. “I don’t. Where could anyone hide? The bedrooms are all in use and, in anycase, are sparsely²³ furnished. The darkroom, the drawing office and the laboratory were all in usethe next day—so were all these rooms. There are no cupboards or corners. Perhaps, if the servantswere in collusion—”

“That is possible, but unlikely,” said Poirot.

He turned once more to Father Lavigny.

“There is another point. The other day Nurse Leatheran here noticed you talking to a manoutside. She had previously²⁴ noticed that same man trying to peer in at one of the windows on theoutside. It rather looks as though the man were hanging round the place deliberately²⁵.”

“That is possible, of course,” said Father Lavigny thoughtfully.

“Did you speak to this man first, or did he speak to you?”

Father Lavigny considered for a moment or two.

“I believe—yes, I am sure, that he spoke to me.”

“What did he say?”

Father Lavigny made an effort of memory.

“He said, I think, something to the effect was this the American expedition house? And thensomething else about the Americans employing a lot of men on the work. I did not reallyunderstand him very well, but I endeavoured to keep up a conversation so as to improve myArabic. I thought, perhaps, that being a townee he would understand me better than the men on thedig do.”

“Did you converse²⁶ about anything else?”

“As far as I remember, I said Hassanieh was a big town—and we then agreed that Baghdadwas bigger—and I think he asked whether I was an Armenian or a Syrian Catholic—something ofthat kind.”

Poirot nodded.

“Can you describe him?”

Again Father Lavigny frowned in thought.

“He was rather a short man,” he said at last, “and squarely built. He had a very noticeablesquint and was of fair complexion²⁸.”

Mr.?Poirot turned to me.

“Does that agree with the way you would describe him?” he asked.

“Not exactly,” I said hesitatingly. “I should have said he was tall rather than short, and verydark-complexioned. He seemed to me of a rather slender build. I didn’t notice any squint²⁷.”

Mr.?Poirot gave a despairing shrug¹¹ of the shoulders.

“It is always so! If you were of the police how well you would know it! The description ofthe same man by two different people—never does it agree. Every detail is contradicted.”

“I’m fairly sure about the squint,” said Father Lavigny. “Nurse Leatheran may be right aboutthe other points. By the way, when I said fair, I only meant fair for an Iraqi. I expect nurse wouldcall that dark.”

“Very dark,” I said obstinately²⁹. “A dirty dark-yellow colour.”

I saw Dr.?Reilly bite his lips and smile.

Poirot threw up his hands.

“Passons!” he said. “This stranger hanging about, he may be important—he may not. At anyrate he must be found. Let us continue our inquiry³⁰.”

He hesitated for a minute, studying the faces turned towards him round the table, then, with aquick nod, he singled out Mr.?Reiter.

“Come, my friend,” he said. “Let us have your account of yesterday afternoon.”

Mr.?Reiter’s pink, plump face flushed scarlet³¹.

“Me?” he said.

“Yes, you. To begin with, your name and your age?”

“Carl Reiter, twenty-eight.”

“American—yes?”

“Yes, I come from Chicago.”

“This is your first season?”

“Yes. I’m in charge of the photography.”

“Ah, yes. And yesterday afternoon, how did you employ yourself?”

“Well—I was in the darkroom most of the time.”

“Most of the time—eh?”

“Yes. I developed some plates first. Afterwards I was fixing up some objects to photograph.”

“Outside?”

“Oh no, in the photographic room.”

“The darkroom opens out of the photographic room?”

“Yes.”

“And so you never came outside the photographic room?”

“No.”

“Did you notice anything that went on in the courtyard?”

The young man shook his head.

“I wasn’t noticing anything,” he explained. “I was busy. I heard the car come back, and assoon as I could leave what I was doing I came out to see if there was any mail. It was then that I—heard.”

“And you began to work in the photographic room—when?”

“At ten minutes to one.”

“Were you acquainted with Mrs.?Leidner before you joined this expedition?”

The young man shook his head.

“No, sir. I never saw her till I actually got here.”

“Can you think of anything—any incident—however small—that might help us?”

Carl Reiter shook his head.

He said helplessly: “I guess I don’t know anything at all, sir.”

“Mr.?Emmott?”

David Emmott spoke clearly and concisely³² in his pleasant soft American voice.

“I was working with the pottery³³ from a quarter to one till a quarter to three—overseeing theboy Abdullah, sorting it, and occasionally going up to the roof to help Dr.?Leidner.”

“How often did you go up to the roof?”

“Four times, I think.”

“For how long?”

“Usually a couple of minutes—not more. But on one occasion after I’d been working a littleover half an hour I stayed as long as ten minutes—discussing what to keep and what to flingaway.”

“And I understand that when you came down you found the boy had left his place?”

“Yes. I called him angrily and he reappeared from outside the archway. He had gone out togossip with the others.”

“That settles the only time he left his work?”

“Well, I sent him up once or twice to the roof with pottery.”

Poirot said gravely: “It is hardly necessary to ask you, Mr.?Emmott, whether you saw anyoneenter or leave Mrs.?Leidner’s room during that time?”

Mr.?Emmott replied promptly³⁴.

“I saw no one at all. Nobody even came out into the courtyard during the two hours I wasworking.”

“And to the best of your belief it was half past one when both you and the boy were absentand the courtyard was empty?”

“It couldn’t have been far off that time. Of course, I can’t say exactly.”

Poirot turned to Dr.?Reilly.

“That agrees with your estimate of the time of death, doctor?”

“It does,” said Dr.?Reilly.

Mr.?Poirot stroked his great curled moustaches.

“I think we can take it,” he said gravely, “that Mrs.?Leidner met her death during that tenminutes.”

 

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